First Republic of New Englia
New Englia is a territory on the eastern coast of Dovani that occupies land between the Rift Mountains and the Verranderlijke Ocean. It is bordered to the north by Kazulia and to the West and South by the Eastern Territories of Greater Hulstria. It was founded in 2348 after an expedition sponsored by Peter Lucas, during his dictatorship. After the Second Kirlawan Civil War led to the reuniting of the mother country in 2369, the Republic of Kirlawa officially recognised New Englia as its colony. The majority of the population are Welsh, with a significant group being Irish who are the descendants of Kirlawan colonists. There is a large creole minority, as well as small numbers of people from various Dovani tribes. The events that transpired in the New Englian Crisis lead to an argeement between the countries of Kazulia, Hulstrian, Kirlawa, and Sekowo to jointly operated the territory in a council-government fashion mandated by the "Treaty of New Indrala", the treaty that ended the crisis. In 2773, it will be decided if New Englia will become an independent nation, be absorbed into other Dovani territory, or continue to be jointly-operated. The conference supported a vote by the people to decide their future. The vote showed 75% of people favored New Englia becoming an independent country. On March 1, 2780 New Englia became an independent nation and held its first elections in March 2783 to determine the HoS and the seats in the National Assembly. On November 1, 3169 New Englia was purchased by the Commonwealth of Rutania and became a territory of the nation. =History= The original inhabitants of New Englia were thought to have been Irish. It's hard to confirm this as tribes that inhabited the area did not keep records and those that did exist were often destroyed. It is thought that the Irish migrated to the area in the year 1000. The Irish are believed to have been moving through the Rift Mountains after leaving their Welsh forebears on the Northern Plain. New Englia would come into play in 2348 when Peter Lucas set up a colony in order to expand the power of Kirlawa and to form a legacy. The Lucasite colonists were largely fanatical fascists, and had no respect for the native people. On arrival, they enslaved thousands and massacred whole villages in order to establish control. For the first few decades, conditions for the Irish were terrible, and many fled into the Rift Mountains. From 2389 - 2702, New Englia prospered as under Kirlawan rule gaining more autonomy. In 2702, New Englia gained international fame of sorts, when Kazullia threatened to take over the island and nearly lead to a war. After a peace conference, New Englia would be governed jointly by 4 nations until 2780 when it was granted independence from Kirlawa. For almost 400 years, the country enjoyed it's independece until it was purchased by Rutania in 3069. =Geography= Physiographic Divisions Climate =Politics & Government= New Englia is a territory subject to Rutanian jurisdiction and sovereignty. Its current powers are all delegated by the Rutanian Parliament and lack full protection under Constitution. New Englia's head of state is the President of Rutania, though his authority is exercised by the Governor of New Englia who acts as the de facto head of state on behalf of the Rutanian Government. The government of New Englia, has an executive branch headed by the First Minister of New Englia, currently Anders Kohler. The legislative branch consists of the National Assembly of New Englia, a unicameral legislature with 300 seats headed by the Speaker of the Assembly. It should be noted that all laws passed in the legislature are subject to review by the Rutanian Parliament. The judicial branch is administrated by the Rutanian court system, thus the highest court in the land is the Rutanian Supreme Court. Parties, Ideology and Politics The country operated under a multi-party system for most of its history until 3097 when the Progressive and Democratic Parties merged with the Colonial and New-Dawn Parties respectively. For elective offices at the provincial and local level, provincial-administered primary elections choose the major party nominees while, the party selects the candidates for the federal level for subsequent general elections. Currently, there are 2 registered parties that are eligible to hold seats in Congress. The political culture in New Englia defines the Colonial Party as "Conservative" and the New-Dawn Party as "Liberal". The provinces of Rift and Central are considered conservative while Englia Province is liberal. Lucas and East Dovani Provinces are considered moderate and tend to elect people with different ideologies. =Political Divisions= New Englia is a territory made up of 6 Districts, that are further divided into counties. The six districts are Central, East Dovani, Englia, Isle of Fire, Lucas and Rift. Each Province is headed by a Governor, elected every four years along with a unicameral or bicameral legislatures that handle issues prescribed to local governments and a Provincial Supreme Court that deals with judicial issues pertaining to state laws and issues. Cities and towns elect their mayor and city council directly through elections. Districts =Foreign Relations and Military= New Englia exercises global economic, political, and military influence. New Englia has a "special relationship" with the Kirlawa and strong ties with Greater Hulstria, Lodamun, Aloria, Dorvik, Zardugal, and Egelion. It works closely with nations on economic and trade deals through free trade agreements. The governor-general holds the title of commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces and appoints its leaders, the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Department of Defense administers the armed forces, including the Army, Navy, and National Air Force. As of 3095, there are a total of 117,000 total military personnel with 1,500 personnel on active duty. Military service is voluntary and conscription may occur in wartime though, is never happened during the Englian Civil War. =Economy= The economy of New Englia is in the process of expanding and had experienced a period of economic growth from 2880-2893. Even with a 13 year period of growth, New Englia is still officially listed as a Developing Nation because a majority of the rural areas lack sufficient healthcare, education and other services. A weak national economy also contributes, but it's developing albeit at a slow pace. Still, the poeple of New Englia enjoy a high level of living as the average income was measured at 53,800 FRX. The unemployment index in the nation is currently at 6.8%. The Eastern Dovani Exchange (EDEX-100) opened in November 2787 and is the first & only stcok exchange in the nation. It is becoming a rising player in the economy of Dovani and in New Englia. New Englia has experienced only one recession and that was the Recession of 2840 which lasted for 12 years from 2840 to 2852. During those years, the country's unemployment rate peaked at 9.4% and the nation's commercial sector suffered when companies left the nation. Mining New Englia is rich in mineral resources, especially coal, iron, natural gas, aluminim, oil & tin. Kirlawan companies have a considerable presence, and the coastal plain is becoming heavily industrialised. The presence of oil has led to companies like Dovani Petroluem Incorporated, Fisk Southern, Rising Sun Petroleum and Xenron to become considerable forces in the New Englian oil exploration game by setting up their headquarters in the nation and with the recent end to a 130 year moratourium on offshore oil drilling, New Englia expects to be a major player in the coming years when it comes to exploration and exportation of oil. Long term plan call for the construction of a natural gas and oil pipelines to transfer them to various ports on western Dovani and supply the Eastern Territories and the rest of Dovani. The foothills of the Rift Mountains are also well known for their rich soil, which makes the growing of coffee, chocolate and other cash crops profitable. Commerce New Englia is also a point of trade between Dovani and Artania. Food and raw materials from Eastern Dovani are exported along with New Englian products, and consumer goods are imported. The nation has been interested in joining various free trade agreements to stimulate economic growth. The creation of the Englia Space Organization (ESO) created jobs and brought manufacturing back to the nation due to the construction of the Space Shuttle. It also marked the return of many Defense Contractors such as X-1 Aerospace and Lockler Marian. Cities such as New Indrala and Plymouth ahve become financial centers and the home of several banks such as Bank of New Englia and Southern Union. Energy New Englia currently generates about 33% of its energy from nuclear power, 32% comes from natural gas, 18% is hydroelectricity, 7% from wind, 6% is solar and the remaining 4% is generated from coal. New Englia is in the process of constructing more nuclear power plants while subsequently phasing out coal power plants which are dirty and produce pollution. =Demographics= New Englia is one of the most multicultural nations in Dovani. It has benefited from the many ethnicities such Asli and Welsh that make up the nation. The nation is unique in that it has no clear majority when it comes to race. Whites account for less than 35% when it comes to race. Most New Englians are either Christian or Buddhist. In recent years, the population has began to level off in the upper 50 millions of people with spikes from time to time. All information pertaining to demographics is recorded from the National Census which is taken every 20 years. Ethnic Groups There are four main ethnic groups in New Englia are the Irish, Welsh, Gao-Showa and Asli. The oldest of them is the Irish which are believed to be descendants from Eastern Welsh tribes who migrated into the Rift Mountains. The Irish was the majority ethnic group in the country until 2875 when the Welsh overtook them. The Welsh are the largest ethnic group present in the country and were originally from Dranland and migrated to New Englia during the split of the Eastern and Western Welsh tribes. The eventual Welsh Genocide also increased New Englia's Welsh population. The Gao-Showa have come to the nation at different times during the last 130 years. Many came from nations like Hulstria and Indrala during the 2890s to seek a new life, but the majority would come from Sekowo between 2930-2945 to escape the political and economic instability and an ongoing civil war. The Asli are the newest ethnicity in New Englia and have come from Talmoria to seek a new life. Languages English and Gaelic are the official languages in New Englia, however at the Federal level, English is the official language and the decline of interest in the Gaelic language as led to almost all in the nation to speak English. Other languages spoken include Welsh, Gao-Showan and Asli. Religion New Englia has many religions and no single one dominates the nation as it once did in the 27th century when there were virtually no immigrants. 43% consider themselves Christian. Of that 43%, 30% are Catholic, 35% are Protestant, 23% are Orthodox and 12% are Non-Catholic/Other Christians. 36% are buddhist, 11% are Jewish, 13% are Agnostic, Atheist or other non-religious. =Culture= New Englia is one of the most multicultural nations in Dovani due to the numerous ethnicities that make up the nation. New Englians are known for their laid back demeanor and friendly hospitality. The many ethnicities that inhabit the country display there culture and heritage here unselfishly and as a result, New Englia has numerous holidays and festivals. =Infrastructure & Transportation= Infrastructure Transportation Everyday personal transportation in New Englia is increasingly becoming dominated by the automobile as. In 2900, there were 180 automobiles per 1,000 New Englians, compared to a staggering 302 automobiles per 1,000 New Englians as of 2991. All roads in the country with the exception of the Federal Highway System are funded and maintained by there respective province. The civil airline industry is entirely privately owned, while most major airports are publicly owned; a total of 323 airports can be found in the country with less than a third receiving commercial traffic. While transport of goods by rail was once extensive, it has shrunk due to the domination of the automobile. The movement of goods and services via the water has surpassed rail usage and is second to the automobile. Mass transit is steadily becoming a choice of people living in or commuting to urban areas as has bicycle usage which is extremely high in suburban areas. =See Also= Map of New Englia McLaren Political Dynasty